Fun Party Idea

A Fancy Party!

Are you looking for something fun to do for a little girls birthday party. Well you might enjoy what we did for my daughter McKenzie's birthday! All of the girls had a great time and it was super easy.  We played off the story book Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly! McKenzie loves Fancy Nancy and she loves butterfly's so this was perfect. This is a wonderful book by Jane O'Connor. If you haven't read any Fancy Nancy books to your little girl you should. They are perfect for any little girly girl and also teach fabulous and "Fancy" new words. Fancy Nancy books are great for developing your child's vocabulary.

Of course you can't celebrate a birthday in your every day clothes so all guests were asked to dress up in their fanciest outfit! I provided Pixie Wings and Fairy Halos from Halo Heaven because an outfit is never finished unless you add some accessories. Halo Heaven is wonderful website for birthday supplies. Over the years my family and I have used them for different themed parties such as a fairy party, pirate parties and dance parties! Their also a great site to find dress up clothes for your daughters or sons dress up box, and they are very affordable! Check out their website I bet you'll find something for your next party or just for fun!

To make the party less stress on you can keep it simple but still make it tons of fun. We started with a Fancy Nancy story! I made sure I went to the library and checked out as many Fancy Nancy books as I could. I think I got around 10 and laid them out for the girls to look at! They loved checking them out themselves and even enjoyed sitting around and listening to the story's being read to them. For a fun party game we had the girls sit in a circle and  played Gnome...Gnome...Fairy (Duck... Duck... Goose) it was easy and everyone enjoyed it! You don't have to go overboard trying to find the perfect party games, little kids can have fun doing just about anything when their friends are involved.

The best part of a party for me is always the food I love to try new things and I tend to do things that look like like I put a lot of effort into them but are actually very simple to make.

These delicious treats are just Nilla Wafers (mini's work too), peanut butter and banana with a little bit of sprinkles on top. (I used a little bit of peanut butter to hold the sprinkles on.) These were a big hit with the kids! Also my daughters favorite PB&J cut into hearts and butterflies! Can't get any simpler then that, and the kids gobbled them up.

Also always make sure that you balance the sweets with fruit and veggies. Many people go crazy with all the fun treats which the kids love but not always the parents of the kids coming to the party. Pick out a few key treats and then fill the rest of the meal with fruit kabobs, veggie trays and other healthy snacks.

If your going to have parents there too have something for them to eat. I decided to make pulled pork sandwiches, potatoe salad and jello salad. The pulled pork was a big hit!

Pull Pork Sandwiches

1 Pork Shoulder Roast (Size will vary depending on the amount of people)

1 c. Apple juice (or water)

Your favorite BBQ sauce (ours is Jack Danial's Originals)

Put the pork in the slow cooker the night before. Cook on low until the next day. Give yourself enough time before the party to drain all liquid and to remove the fat. Shred the meat and add BBQ sauce.Serve on rolls and make sure you have extra BBQ sauce for people to add to their sandwich.  Easy, simple, and delicious!

What about the decorations? Make it simple on yourself. You don't have to go all out and spend a ton of money. Little kids are easily impressed. Some simple balloons and flowers will work perfect! Streamers are great and fun but sometimes less can be better. I also added these candy rock treats  that the kids could take home. (Any candy treat you might want to give, save it for the end and have the parents take it home. Then they can decide when and how much their child can have. Trust me they will appreciate it.)

My little girl Kenzie thought this was the best party ever as did her friends and I had such a blast putting it together. I hope these little tips help you with your own Fancy Nancy Party or any other party you may have planned.

~Tracy~

Piece Of Cake

It’s Halloween!

Halloween is just a little under a week away and it's time to start celebrating!  There are so many ways to make this Holiday fun for the kids but easy on our pockets! There are a few things that I would like to share with you that I like to do with my kids and their friends!

The best way to get into the spirit is getting our pumpkins ready!  This is a fun project for all ages! We decided to have a play date with my daughters friends and decorate some pumpkins.  The best thing to do when getting ready for a pumpkin carving party is have the pumpkins ready. Take the time to cut off the top and clean out the insides before your little guests arrive. The less cleaning out you have to do with the little ones the better! Don't forget to save the seeds for roasting later, yum! The next best thing to have on hand are stickers crayons and/or paint. Who says you can only carve a pumpkin. Younger kids cant use the sharp tools to carve a pumpkin so coloring and decorating with stickers is a fun way for them personalize their pumpkins. My daughter wanted me to make a cat so I did the carving and she did the coloring and finished it off with Halloween stickers! Didn't she and her friends do a great job?!

The second thing you have to think about every year is the costume. My daughter is still young enough that mommy gets a say in her costume. I try to find a fun way to dress my daughter up without spending a lot of money. After all it's just one night of fun! This year I have a few ideas for you. My daughter is going as a Snow Princess which is a perfect choice for an Alaskan girl and I'm not buying a thing. The best thing about having a little girl is she has a dress up box and a lot of friends who like to dress up. You can make a great Halloween costume using what your child already has. And don't be afraid to ask around to other moms and borrow/trade things you may need.

An even easier and more fun Halloween tradition is a ghost and what is easier then a ghost? A few holes in a sheet and you have a cute little Halloween costume! Remember you can get creative you don't have to just use a white sheet. You can use any color and decorate your ghost. If your little ghost is a girl maybe put here in a pink sheet with a bow on her head, and if he's a boy make a bow tie! To make sure your little one is able to move around without her costume falling off be sure to pin a hat under the sheet. This will insure it stays on. For more homemade costume ideas go to Family Fun!

The best for last, food! It so much fun and can be so easy! Pillsbury has some great recipes you can try. How about this Chicken Enchilada Mummy, it looks delicious and the kids will love to help you make spooky or silly faces on them. By letting the kiddos help in the cooking process they are more likely to eat their creations.  

Make dessert more fun for the kids by giving them cupcakes to decorate and use Halloween candy to make some scary little monsters! These will definitely be a hit! Visit Family Fun for some more great ideas!

Have a fun, safe, and memorable Halloween! Feel free to comment with any other ideas you may have on making this Halloween a special day for your kids.

Happy Halloween!

~Tracy~